Palomar Family Counseling Service (PFCS) is thrilled to announce that we have received a generous $125,000 grant from the San Diego Foundation (SDF) to support two transformative projects aimed at bolstering mental health services in North San Diego County. This funding, awarded as part of SDF’s 2025 Mental Health Service Expansion & Workforce Development Grant, will fuel two critical initiatives: the “Strengthening San Diego’s Mental Health Workforce: Therapist Trainee Stipend Program” and “Elevating Clinical Capacity for Child and Youth Mental Health”. These initiatives underscore PFCS’s commitment to addressing the region’s growing mental health needs by training the next generation of therapists and enhancing care for children and youth.
“We are incredibly grateful to the San Diego Foundation for their support,” said Lisa Turner, Executive Director of PFCS. “This grant is a testament to the importance of collaboration in addressing the mental health needs of our community. Together, we can make a lasting difference.”
Strengthening the Mental Health Workforce
The Therapist Trainee Stipend Program tackles a pressing issue: San Diego County’s projected need for 18,500 additional behavioral health professionals by 2027. With $75,000 from SDF, PFCS will provide $5,000 stipends to 12 master’s-level therapist trainees from September 2025 to August 2026. These trainees—recruited with a focus on diversity, including from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income backgrounds—will gain hands-on clinical experience under expert supervision.
“These stipends are more than just financial assistance—they are an investment in the future of mental health care in our region,” Turner explained. “By supporting these trainees, we are not only helping them achieve their professional goals but also ensuring that our community has access to a diverse and skilled workforce ready to meet the growing demand for mental health services.”
Trainees will deliver direct services such as individual, family, and group therapy across PFCS’s school-based programs in Escondido, Fallbrook, Vista, Valley Center, and Oceanside and our clinics located in Escondido, Vista, and Fallbrook. Supervised by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), they’ll develop skills in evidence-based practices and participate in professional development workshops.
“Our community is richly diverse, and it’s essential that our mental health professionals reflect that diversity,” said Dr. Nicole Asencio, Director of Clinical Training at PFCS. “By recruiting and supporting trainees from underrepresented backgrounds, we are building a workforce that can provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed care to all members of our community.”
By August 2026, PFCS aims for all 12 trainees to complete at least 500 clinical hours and pursue licensure within a year. This program will also boost PFCS’s service capacity directly benefiting North County families.
Elevating Clinical Capacity for Child and Youth Mental Health
The second initiative, Elevating Clinical Capacity for Child and Youth Mental Health, allocates $50,000 to enhance the expertise of PFCS’s therapists and trainees. This project targets children and youth with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health challenges.
“Children and youth in our community are facing unprecedented mental health challenges, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that our therapists have the skills and knowledge to meet those needs,” Turner noted. “This training program will empower our clinicians to provide the highest level of care, ultimately improving outcomes for the children and families we serve.”
From June 2025 to May 2026, PFCS will deliver a training series, including Family Systems Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and workshops on play therapy, gender-affirming care, and somatic processing. Weekly supervision will ensure these skills translate into practice. Dr. Asencio, who will develop the training series, emphasized its impact: “Our goal is to create a ripple effect—by elevating the clinical capacity of our team, we can improve therapeutic outcomes for our clients. This program is about more than just training; it’s about transforming lives.”
A Partnership for Community Impact
With nearly 70 years of service, PFCS has long been a cornerstone of mental wellness in North San Diego County. This grant from San Diego Foundation amplifies our ability to meet rising demand while maintaining our mission to empower and uplift individuals of all ages through high-quality, culturally responsive care.
The funding breakdown reflects SDF’s priorities: 80% of the workforce grant will go directly to trainee stipends, with 20% supporting supervision and operations. The service expansion grant will fund training, clinical supervision, and evaluation ensuring maximum impact.
Looking Forward
As we launch these projects, we invite our community to follow our journey. Stay tuned for updates, stories of impact, and ways to get involved. Visit www.palomarfamilycounseling.com or call 760-741-2660 to learn more about our work and how you can support mental health in North San Diego County.
This program was made possible thanks to grant support from San Diego Foundation.
San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.